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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27737248">Silver Locks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asteria_Selene/pseuds/Asteria_Selene'>Asteria_Selene</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Gore, Character Death, Gen, Horror, Mild Gore, Panic Attacks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:55:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,280</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27737248</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asteria_Selene/pseuds/Asteria_Selene</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A fun trip gone wrong.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I guess some people never learn.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Kageyama, I bet I can beat you to the peak of this mountain!" Hinata's voice rang clear in the quiet air of the forest. "Eh? You're on." the raven-haired boy responded, but as they took their first steps, Sugawara grabbed their collars, slightly choking the pair in the process. "Settle down now, you two," the silver-haired setter reprimanded them. "It's a pretty long trek up, and you're going to need all that energy." The statement put a pout on the first year's faces, but they relented nonetheless.</p><p>The team decided to do an activity together, as some form of team building outside the court. Coach Ukai suggested mountain climbing— it would be a great experience overall; it would be relaxing, Takeda-sensei insisted so, '<em> nature walks do wonders </em>,' he said, but it was also a physical activity, so they still got their daily dose of exercise despite missing a day of training.</p><p>Sugawara turned to the rest of the team with a smile. "Ready to go, everyone?" He was answered with a loud chorus of "Yeah!", Nishinoya being louder than rest. The setter only chuckled at the boys' antics, pumping their hands in the air and hyping each other up. And with that, the Karasuno volleyball team started their journey up the mountain with high spirits.</p><p>═══════════</p><p>Hinata and Kageyama were being obnoxiously loud again, and Tanaka and Noya were spouting more ridiculous crap, asking if one would die being dropped from this height, or how long it would take for Nishinoya to "rolling thunder" down the mountain trail. Sugawara knew they wouldn't actually do something that dangerous, but he kept a close eye on them just in case. Ennoshita, Narita and Kinoshita stayed behind the first years, the three of them in a quiet discussion about mountain beetles. Asahi, Daichi and Sugawara were just walking in silence at the very back of the group, occasionally talking about various things that caught their interest, like the colorful bird they saw, or that oddly colored tree they passed a few minutes ago. The third years named the tree Makoto for some reason, and the trio cracked up at the absurdity of the situation.</p><p>Their merry band continued their trek up, but around halfway through, some of the team members started complaining about their feet hurting. First it was Hinata, then Tanaka and Nishinoya. At first, Sugawara only shrugged it off, encouraging them to go on, but the whining was grating on Suga's nerves, and he doesn't know how long he'll last before he snaps. He tried his best to divert his focus on the little pebbles he kicked around, brows scrunching in an effort not to listen to Nishinoya droning on and on about how his toes were about to break. A small chuckle escaped from Daichi at the sight, and Suga gave him an irritated glare. The captain opened his mouth, wanting to apologize, but he was cut off by Nishinoya's voice. "Hey guys!" Everybody's eyes snapped to the small boy, who was eagerly pointing at something beyond their field of view. "There's a house around the bend there— let's go say hi! Maybe they'll agree to let us hang out there for a while," the boy quipped. "Noya, no-" the setter tried to protest, but before Sugawara could even finish his sentence, the libero had sprinted towards the building.</p><p>The house was quaint, and it seemed to be well-maintained as well. It looked as if it was freshly painted, and the plants on the sides were trimmed too. As Sugawara's eyes scanned the vicinity, there was no sign of another soul aside from their group. <em> But the house is in good condition- there has to be someone in here, </em> the silver-haired man thought. Breaking off from the rest, Sugawara looked around to the backyard. There seemed to be no one there as well, but the air felt...different, somehow. There was something odd about this place, and it kept nagging at the back of his mind. "Suga." Daichi was looking over, beckoning him back with the rest. "The owner is here inside, and they've invited us in." <em> See, Suga? There's nothing wrong, </em> he reassured himself. He took a deep breath to sweep that nagging feeling away, and skipped over to join the company.</p><p>═══════════</p><p>"Thank you for welcoming us into your home, ma'am," Asahi muttered as he received the cup of tea from the hostess. The woman only nodded, and then walked back to her kitchen with quiet steps. There was something unsettling about how her steps didn't make any sound against the wooden floor, but he shrugged it off. She said her name was Nanami. She looked pretty old to be living alone, but Suga didn't see anyone else, and he thought it would be rude to pry. Their group was gathered around the table, happily conversing. Asahi shushed the lower years for quite a number of times, afraid to bother the elderly woman. Sugawara spaced out for a bit, his mind wandering to random things. He was brought out of his reverie as a sharp elbow pierced his side, causing a look of irritation to momentarily surface on the setter's features. "Suga-senpai," Hinata whispered. "I need to go to the bathroom."</p><p>"Hm, so? Go on, do your business."</p><p>"Well, I don't really know where, and I can get lost easily, so..." Hinata's words trailed off, but Sugawara understood what he meant. He groaned in his head, not wanting to move from his spot. "Daichi, can you accompany Hinata?" the setter asked, flashing a bright smile. Daichi knew better- Suga's "request" was an order, and he knew how scary Suga can get. Reluctantly, he got up from where he was seated, and followed Hinata out, the door closing behind them with a soft clack. Sugawara turned his attention back to his tea cup, lazily observing the murky reflections of the lights in the liquid.</p><p>Then his heart stopped.</p><p>Sugawara quickly whipped his head around, eyes warily looking over at the space behind him. The others took notice of his sudden movement, and asked him what's wrong. The silver haired male told them it was nothing, and turned his eyes back at his teacup, now sitting still on the table.</p><p>He could've sworn that among the hazy white reflections of the lights, he saw a pair of glowing eyes stare back at him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Click.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em> ‘That was probably just my imagination, right?’ </em> he chided himself, but this time, the uneasiness continued to linger in his mind. He continued to convince himself that this was all a result of fatigue, and that there were no glowing—</p><p>The door opened loudly, causing Suga to flinch out of surprise. Nanami-san stood in the doorway, a smile on her face. "You boys should probably stay the night. The storm is raging outside- it would be unsafe for you to leave now," the old lady said, her voice gravelly.</p><p>
  <em> ‘Storm? But I hear nothing.’ </em>
</p><p>Not wanting to bring more unnecessary anxiety upon himself, he got up from his seat to peek out the window in the hall. As he slid the window open, he was met with strong wind and a whole lot of water, splashing onto his face.</p><p><em> ‘Well, that's a storm alright,’ </em> Suga thought as he wiped water from his face. His clothes were drenched as well, but at least he brought extra clothes. As he went to walk back into the living area, he was only met by Nanami-san, ominously sitting there, staring at the doorway, like she waited for him to be there.</p><p>
  <em> ‘Creepy. But where were Tanaka and the rest?’ </em>
</p><p>"I took your friends to their chambers for tonight," the old lady answered, as if reading his thoughts. "You should head to yours too. Yours would be the one at the end of the west hall."</p><p>Itching to be out of the woman's eerie presence, Sugawara gave her a smile as he quickly picked up his bag, bowing before he left the room. He felt guilty for leaving wet tracks on the wooden floor, and he hastened to get to his "room" to change his clothes. He passed by a few lit rooms, ones he could only assume were occupied by his friends. He wanted to check if they were indeed there, but he figured he shouldn’t, given that his clothes were soaked. It was starting to feel uncomfortable— he could feel his shirt sticking onto his back— and he didn't want to catch a cold, and so he trudged on towards the end of the hall. It appears that the house had a lot of rooms. ‘<em> Huh, it didn't look that huge from the outside,’ </em> he thought. After a few more moments of walking, he finally reached his designated room. He put down his bag in a hurry and pulled out his extra shirt, wasting no time as he immediately dried himself and changed his clothes. ‘ <em> Maybe I should've taken a bath first,’ </em> he mused in his head as he sat on the floor. He started spacing out again, his mind wandering to the small specks of dust illuminated by the soft light of the room.</p><p>════════════════════════</p><p>He must've fallen asleep at some point, although Sugawara had no memory of drifting off. All he knew was that he awoke on the floor, and the place was dead silent. He went to reach for his phone, to check the time, but it... wasn't there? He patted his pockets a few more times for good measure, but there was no sign of his phone. He even checked his bag, turned it inside out— but to no avail.</p><p>
  <em> ‘One of them must've taken my phone again.’ </em>
</p><p>A prank like this wasn't uncommon— it was only a matter of deduction between Noya and Tanaka. Daichi and Asahi did this to him once, and that... wasn't pretty. He thought of looking outside, to check how the weather was, but there were no windows in the room, he noticed. His body felt heavy, and he didn't feel like getting up. Sugawara considered getting his phone the next day, but decided against it, remembering the loads of pictures he had to delete after Noya took his phone the last time. He didn't want a repeat of that experience, and so he reluctantly got up and lazily opened the door.</p><p>The hallway was empty. ‘<em> Of course it's empty, it's probably some ungodly hour in the morning right now,’ </em> he thought. It seemed that the storm had let up; the interior was dimly lit by moonlight streaming in from the windows. The setter lingered for a while in the room's doorway, not wanting to move at all, but then he took a deep breath and slapped himself awake, and started to make his way to one of the rooms. When he passed by it earlier, the occupants sounded loud, and that could only be Noya and Tanaka. With little strength, he slid the door open.</p><p>"Noya, where did you put my-" but his words died in his throat as he noticed that the room was… empty?</p><p>He rubbed the sleepiness away from his eyes, thinking that maybe sleep was still clouding his brain. His eyes wandered in the room, but it really was empty, with no sign of his friends being even there at all.</p><p><em> ‘Huh, must've been the wrong room,’ </em> he told himself. The setter was positive that he heard his friends in the rooms when he walked by earlier that night— they wouldn't just get up and leave him.</p><p>
  <em> ‘Right?’ </em>
</p><p>Anxiety started to claw in his chest. He tried to calm himself down, taking deep breaths, and he slowly walked over to the next room. </p><p>Only to find it empty as well.</p><p>Panic, anxiety, and adrenaline all rushed through him at the same time; his heart thundered in his chest, the beating loud in his ears, drowning everything else. He forgot about courtesy and started opening every single room in the wing, the doors violently banging against the frames. The only thing that met his eyes was the empty space of the rooms. There was no sign of his teammates anywhere, not even a bag or an open window. He ran down to the opposite wing, his steps heavy against the wooden floor of the house.</p><p>The opposite side of the house looked exactly the other, and so he ran through the hall, almost ripping the doors from their frames, but he didn't- couldn't care anymore. He opened the last door, and like all the others, it was empty. Sugawara felt his knees go weak, and he dropped onto the floor like a heavy sack of flour. His thoughts started to scramble, and his breathing started to become uneven, getting shallower with every inhale, and then—</p><p>
  <em> 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬. </em>
</p><p>The sound echoed down the emptiness of the halls, and it vibrated through the wooden house. Sugawara quickly whipped his head around, trying to locate the source of the noise, but it was too dark to see.</p><p>
  <em> 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬. </em>
</p><p><em> ‘There it is again,’ </em> he thought, but it seemed like it came from the opposite of where it was before. Hastily getting up, he dusted off his clothes and started looking around more carefully.</p><p>
  <em> 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬.𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬.𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬.𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬. </em>
</p><p>The clicking sound started to sound in a steady rhythm, like a clock's pendulum. It seemed to come from different places each time, and Sugawara took tentative steps around the hall, but found nothing.</p><p>
  <em> CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. </em>
</p><p>The sound became louder, and the pace more erratic. It seemed to be everywhere, and it was grating on Sugawara's ears. His agitation urged him to pick up his pace.</p><p><em> Thump, thump, thump, </em>the setter’s steps sounded against the floor. He looked around, and—</p><p><em> CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK </em>C̵̨̨͔̙̺͙̮̜̀͌̋̓̃̆̈́̚͜L̵̬͉̝̈́͛͋̐̔̆̚͝I̸̺̣̰̪̳̗͍͕̎̑C̷͉̲̦̩͎̉̎̓͛͛̓̑͊̈́K̷̡̡̨̢̹̞͖̘̑̓͝C̴̱̠̹̱̓̉̽̐͝͝ͅL̵̹̝͔̻͖̈Į̷̱̲̟͎̺̈̌͊̀͐͆̈́Ĉ̶̻͎̗̭̐̿̅̍͜ͅK̷̢̟̹̋̒̓̽̚Ç̶̳̪̜̥̾̏̏̓̆͝͝͝ͅL̷͎̣̉͌̓Ì̶̢̛̱͇̺͖̼̠̱́̆̃̈́̎͝C̶̼͂͑̚̕K̸͓̽̏̓̓͝C̷̛̟̼͉̹̓̋̑̓͌̏Ḽ̸̜̪̺̪̺̪̌̈́̉̓̅̎̃̓̓Ỉ̷̡̼̹̟̭͚̓̀͝C̸̣̜̰͍͚̣̉̋̉͜K̵͙̬̞̥̘̘̈́̀͑͑̆̐̄͝C̶̳̀͂́̈́͑̚͝L̴̡̧̰̱̳̮͇̩̠̃̂̆̔͊͑͐I̴̡̛̛̠͇̼̺̘̼̹̐̅͋́̋͘C̴̹̼̫͎͙͐͒̒̓̈́̑K̵̡͔̜̤̞̼͕͙̅̾̐̉̆͑̑̀͜C̶͕̳̲̖͔̹͉̟͊̅̃̀͑͑͊͗̉Ḷ̷̢̳̳̭̻̈́̈́͐Ǐ̶̜̫͕̜̙͖̪͓́͊̎̎͌C̷̱̠̞̜̯̩͙͍̱͉̒̋̓̓͋̇̂̓̚K̵̢̤̬͍̪͒̈̏̆̓͋̃̒̇͝</p><p>The <b>crescendo</b> of <em> clicks </em>only continued to intensify by </p><p>the second, and eventually, the silver-haired boy </p><p>found it unbearable. He sank back down onto the floor, covering </p><p>his ears, curling in on him</p><p>self in a <b>desperate attempt</b> to keep the noise away. He was </p><p>Silently praying for it to <b>stop</b>,  and maybe he did </p><p>start to say his <b>p ra yers</b> out loud, </p><p>but he </p><p>really couldn't care. </p><p>The sound was getting </p><p>more and more ű̷̗n̴̡̛̩̎̂̋̐b̴̢̨̗͓͙͖̘̭͙̮͐̓̎̃͒̉͋̽͠ȩ̴͖͕͉̙̃̉̾̿͐̈́̎̂̒̕a̶̖͖͚̥̰̼̰̪͔̤̒͒͛̊̋̋̂r̷̺̔̅̃ą̵͚̘͉͙͖͍̱̰̎ḅ̶̡̠̦̗̩̦̝̬͓͐̓̆̒̌̐̚͘̕͠l̸̢͕̲̲̒̃͐̋̊̓͒͝͝ę̵̟̜̣̣̜̾̿̈́̓̽͗͌— the setter tried to strengthen his hands covering </p><p>his <b>e ars,</b> but it didn't help; it felt like his </p><p>eardrums would <b>s ha tte r</b> any second now. He could feel the sound</p><p>waves of the clicking sound r̶̜̳͕̻̺̠̯͋̎͌̈́͋̚̚ì̶͖̠̓̏̓̆́p̸͍̘̖̙͎͍̮̀͒͋p̶̧̪̘̠̞̥̱͆̾ļ̶͙̞̖̋̃̂̒̆̀̀ỉ̷̝̮̼͈̫͂̋͜͠n̸̨̪̤̉̊g̸͔̭͍̤͛̏͑́̔̈́̿̕̚ through his <b>te et h</b>, shaking </p><p>his bones, the f̸͙̣̈͂̋͠l̵̪͖̬̘͆͛̒̆͌͂̏̕ͅo̶̠̙͚͓̱̍͊͌̔̿̆͛o̴̤̹̙̠̲̰͔͋̋͌̈́͊̋͘ͅr̷̝̘͍͈̱̠̱̜̄̈́̃͝ ̴̤̺̺͖͉̲̊͜ͅb̷͇̯͋̆͑̀ḛ̸͍͙̖̙̆͗͆̈́n̸̛͔͇͇̮̱͕̠̑̋͜ȩ̷̬͓̬̲̦̯͇̱͋̆ä̶̡̨̨̛͕̟̣̖́͠t̷̗͇͕̺̺̯̭̘̟͛̌̋̈́̿̅͜h̴̢̛͎̜͂͐́̎͋͛̏͝ him—</p><p>then it </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>s to p pe d.</b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Makoto the Tree</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Even in the absence of sound, Sugawara's ears were ringing. For a few moments, he lay still on the floor, chest heaving, eyes closed. In his mind he counted, pacing his breathing into a steady rhythm.</p><p><br/>One. <em>Inhale.</em></p><p><br/>Two. <em>Exhale.</em></p><p><br/>Three. <em>Inhale.</em></p><p><br/>Four. <em>Exhale.</em></p><p><br/>Five. <em>Inhale.</em></p><p><br/>Six. <em>Exhale.</em></p><p><br/>Seven. <em>Inhale.</em></p><p><br/>Eight. <em>Exhale.</em></p><p><br/>The setter sat upright once again, eyes still closed shut. The cool breeze touched his face, or maybe that was the cold sweat, he wasn't really sure.</p><p><br/>Nine. <em>Inhale.</em></p><p><br/>The frigid air of the night filled his lungs, bringing him an odd sense of comfort. He breathed in deeply, savoring the feeling of ease that the cold brought him.</p><p><br/>Ten.<br/>As the setter's eyes fluttered open, his breath was stuck in his lungs. Fear prickled on his skin like ants, goosebumps rising in their wake. He could feel his throat go dry, his knees go stiff; he was stuck there, frozen in fear and shock.</p><p><br/>Staring straight into his soul were a pair of glowing eyes. The ghostly pale face they belonged to stood a hair's breadth away from his own, and yet their features look blurred, as if it was an ink painting smudged with water. As much as the setter wanted to escape, to push the entity and run, his fear held him captive; all he could do was gape and stare at the seemingly faceless ghost hovering in front of him.</p><p><br/>Sugawara's eyes followed the entity's movements as it raised a gnarly hand and moved it towards his face. The hand rested lightly on his cheek, and for a split second Suga felt like it was gentle and endearing, but those thoughts were washed away but the searing hot pain that followed the contact. The setter screamed, his voice ricocheting off the hollow walls of the house, but no one seemed to hear his plea.</p><p><br/>He struggled to get away, but his body betrayed him; his legs refused to move, held in place by invisible shackles. He screamed and screamed for god knows how long, screaming until his throat felt raw.</p><p><br/>Help me, he pleaded. Whether he said that in his mind or out loud, he doesn't know- he doesn't care. He repeated the phrase again and again and again, not stopping even when his voice was reduced to a gravelly whisper.</p><p><br/>He was trapped there for god knows how long, praying for somebody to help him, but then another strange thing happened.<br/>Sounds of shattering glass rang through the terse air. It sounded so far away, yet so near, like something from beyond, cutting through Sugawara's bones. His ears were ringing again, louder and louder</p><p><br/>Then he woke up.</p><p><br/>════════════════════════</p><p><br/>He woke up on the cold wooden floor of his room, his whole body coated in cold sweat. HIs chest was heaving, his throat was dry, just like it was in the "dream". He was trembling all over, his eyes wandering to every single thing he could see in the room, his mind unable to focus on a single object. His breathing was shallow, and flashes of that horrendous image kept flashing again and again in his mind. The tremors that ran through his body intensified somehow, and his chest was starting to feel tight, each breath taking more effort than the last.</p><p><br/>'KOUSHI. Koushi. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF,' his inner voice screamed.</p><p><br/>"I'm trying," he whispered out loud.</p><p><br/>His thoughts were still scrambled, his eyes unfocused. His legs felt immobile now, his arms as well. Sharp inhales were heard from the silver-haired male, his hands clenching and unclenching in an attempt to ground himself.</p><p><br/>'Oh, remember Makoto?'</p><p><br/>"Yeah, yeah. Makoto the tree," he muttered.</p><p><br/>His mind wandered to the fleeting memory of the strange tree, how its colorful leaves glinted in the sun. He focused on the weird shape of its trunk, looping around like a weirdly-shaped pretzel. He replays the sound of their laughter as they passed by it, their voices free of any worry or stress. He focused on how magical that moment was, and how beautiful and ethereal the tree looked under the sunlight, like something from a completely different world.<br/>Sugawara's consciousness slowly floated away from the memory and back to reality. The hardwood floors became solid under his body again, and his breathing had returned to normal. He took his time refocusing his eyes, choosing to rest them on his half-opened bag. He slowly stood up and paced around the room, stretching to get blood pumping through his previously immobile muscles. The setter realized that his throat felt extremely dry now, and he reached out to his water bottle, but it was already empty, meaning that he had to get down to the kitchen to get some water. He wasn't really comfortable about going down the dark hall on his own, not after that freaky dream he had, but he had no choice or else he would die of dehydration.</p><p><br/>Armed with his phone flashlight and his empty water bottle, Sugawara Koushi mustered up all the courage he had in his body and walked down the dark hall leading to the living area and kitchen. As he passed by the rooms, he couldn't help but peek into each of them, and he released a breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw his teammates peacefully asleep in their futons. He was more at ease now, and he hurried over to the kitchen to get the water he needed. When he reached the water dispenser, he hesitated. "I hope Nanami-san won't mind," he quietly mumbled.</p><p><br/>"Oh, dear boy, go on." Nanami-san's sudden appearance scared the living hell out of the setter, causing him to yelp and let go of his bottle, dropping it on his foot. He automatically dropped down to nurse his now injured toes, softly blowing on them. The old lady walked over and gave the silver-haired boy a smile.</p><p><br/>"You seem jumpy. Bad dream?" The old lady asked. The setter only nodded, and Nanami only hummed, as if this was a common situation. "I'll make tea for you then, to calm you down," Nanami continued, and Sugawara started to protest. "Nanami-san, you don't have to do that. I'm fine..." he reasoned, but the woman only waved him away. "Bah, nonsense. The way you reacted earlier was not fine, Sugawara-kun." she said with a "you-can't-win-against-me" look. Sugawara understood the unspoken message in the woman's eyes, and went down to take a seat at the table. Soon, the small lady followed, sitting across him.</p><p><br/>"What happened in your dream, Sugawara-kun?" Nanami asked as she poured tea for both of them. The setter hesitated about telling the details of his nightmare, but eventually he relented. "So, I was in the hall because I was about to get my phone from one of my teammates, Noya. The smaller one with the blonde tuft of hair?" He gestured to Nanami-san, even mimicking the libero's expression, and the old lady let out a huff of laughter at Suga's antics.</p><p><br/>"But then they weren't there. They weren't in any of the rooms, and I was panicking on the floor, then there was this clicking noise that felt like it could break me apart." Nanami quietly sipped her tea as he continued his story. "Then there was this...woman? I don't know, their face was blurry for some reason," the setter added, lightly waving his hands in front of his face.</p><p><br/>"Then she touched my cheek." Sugawara was a bit too engrossed in telling the story that he wasn't able to notice Nanami's eyes widen. "At first it was okay, but it turned really painful, like it was burning." The setter paused, the horrific feelings surfacing again, but he shrugged them off. "I was screaming....and then there was this shattering noise that woke me up."</p><p><br/>Sugawara turned his eyes back to the woman, her eyes stuck to the teacup in her hand. "Nanami-san, are you alright?" Sugawara asked, voice tentative. The old lady looked shaken up, and guilt was peeking from the corners of his mind.</p><p><br/>"Nanami-san, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" he started, but the old lady cut him off. "No, no, it's okay. I'll just- head to the kitchen to get snacks." She left without another word, leaving Sugawara alone in the dining area.</p><p><br/>He felt a bit weird not doing anything there, and so he got up to follow her back to the kitchen. "Can I help with anything?" The old lady handed him a bunch of plates and a few onigiri. He arranged them, and Nanami continued to work on something.</p><p><br/>The silence in the kitchen was broken as the old lady started to speak. "You know, that girl you saw in your dream? That was my daughter."</p><p><br/>"Oh." 'Wait what—?'</p><p><br/>He must have made some kind of confused expression because Nanami continued to explain.</p><p><br/>"She was...a troubled child. A classic failed love story, and it didn't turn out pretty for her. She cried and cried and cried, and one day, she just...." the old lady's words trailed off, but the expression she carried told Sugawara the rest of the story.</p><p><br/>"She cradled your face when she saw you, didn't she?" Nanami asked, voice sounding distant and somber. The setter only nodded, and turned his eyes back to the onigiris in his hands. His heart felt heavy, for the woman and the girl, and felt like he couldn't bear to see the sadness that pooled in Nanami-san's eyes. "Then that could only mean one thing."</p><p><br/>Sugawara thought the statement was peculiar for the context, but before he could ask her to continue, a sharp pain cut through his side. He didn't have any time to process the situation he was in when suddenly the lady twisted the knife, making him yelp. The pain clouded his mind and drained his strength, and after not after long he collapsed on the floor, sitting in a pool of his own blood. He willed himself to get up, but his body failed to listen to him again as he lay there, motionless, consciousness hanging by a thread.<br/>"My dear Haruka would usually be violent when she visited people in their dreams, as a sign of retribution," the old lady droned on. "Many people have visited my house and came out running, and I've grown used to it, explains why I made you tea to calm you down, just as I did with the previous visitors."</p><p><br/>The small lady walked around the half-conscious male, heading to the sink to wash the teacups. "But surprisingly, she only cradled your face, as you said. A few others have had the same experience as you had, telling me her touch burned like hell." The soft clinks of glass rang in the room before she continued.</p><p><br/>"They had only one thing in common, and apparently, you're one of them, Sugawara-kun." The setter can definitely feel himself slipping, but he tried his best to hang on, willing himself to stay awake for long enough that somebody will come down and help him.</p><p><br/>"You," Nanami sneered, "are related to him. The one she loved, the one who broke her. You are the fruits of his betrayal." Sugawara's vision was starting to darken, darkness lurking at his peripherals.</p><p><br/>"You, my dear boy, need to suffer the fate she did."</p><p><br/>The last thing he remembers were Nanami's eyes staring down at him, cold and yet burning with revenge, and then the darkness engulfed him like a monster gobbling up its prey.</p><p><br/>Before the last tendrils of his consciousness slipped away, the sound of shattering glass was heard once more, even stronger than before. He felt the sound ripple through his bones, his heart</p><p><br/>and he woke up on the cold hardwood floor of his room.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. I See Red. Literally.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>❝ </p><p>
  <em>I don't know how long it's been, how many cycles I've gone through. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Each time, I think I died, only to wake up on the bedroom floor. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Again. and again. and again. and again. and again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>How many times has it been? Ten? Fifty? A hundred? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I don't know anymore.</em>
</p><p>❞</p><p> </p><p>The silver-haired setter was on all fours, panting against the bedroom floor.</p><p>He'd died again, and now it was back to square one.</p><p>He doesn't know what to believe anymore.</p><p>All he knew was that every time he died, he'd find himself being jolted awake, as if what happened prior was a dream. The fact that he doesn't know the rules only fed his anxiety, now a monster clawing at his brain, threatening to pull him back into an attack. He tried his best to keep his intrusive thoughts at bay, but his defense was weakening with every repeat. </p><p>He still didn't know what Nanami wanted, if Nanami was real. He didn't know if he was the only one being tormented, or if the other guys were also going through the same thing, if they were even alive, or whether his entire life was a dream and this was the reality he really faced. Worries and anxiety popped up one after the other, attacking Sugawara's defenses relentlessly.</p><p>The setter had tried to escape for more times than he could count, but he quickly found out that it was near impossible for him to do so. Nanami was agile for her age, incapacitating him one way or another. Still, it didn't stop him from trying, but frankly, he was losing the will to do so. This seemed inescapable— heck, even the house itself seemed to work against him, halls and doors never in the same place they were before. He could feel the anxiety seep through the cracks of his resolve, his very sanity threatening to fall through his fingers like the fine sand of the deserts.</p><p>He thought of everybody he held dear, his parents, his friends, his team, of everything good in the world: ramen from that one shop in Tokyo, the meat buns from Coach Ukai's store, soft serve ice cream, and everything else to fill his mind with good thoughts. </p><p>With a deep breath, he steeled his resolve once more. He will escape this hellhole, one way or another.</p><p>He crept into the hall, tiptoeing to the different rooms. Empty, like the first time this happened.  Sugawara continued on, steps silent as he walked towards the common hallway. As he reached halfway, his eyes remained vigilant, looking left and right for any sign of the women. </p><p>'Too easy,' he mused. 'Something's wrong.'</p><p>Still, he continued. A chance like this was too important to pass up, and at this point, he'd take whatever he can get. A little more and he'd go insane, he can feel it in his bones. His fingertips were just a few centimeters away from the door when suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the air.</p><p>"Sugawara-kun, are you okay?" </p><p>The setter cursed in his mind as he turned to Nanami-san, standing there with a concerned look on her face.</p><p>It was like this every time. Nanami seemed to reset along with the rest of "reality", but she discovers the connection between Sugawara and her daughter one way or another. </p><p>The first time, he blurted out the dream mindlessly, and it led to his doom.</p><p>Another time, when she asked about his unique hair color. "Like silver that glints in the moonlight," he said, as it was a line commonly said by his grandmother. He should've known better— Haruka used to call him Gin, like silver. He had the most peculiar appearance, and so Sugawara having that natural hair color was a telltale sign of his connection with the man.</p><p>In the most recent repeat, Nanami found out through seeing his wallpaper when Suga was checking the time. It was his family picture, and well, the ash blonde hair told Nanami everything she needed to know. Sugawara wasn't even aware that the woman already found out, and when he realized, he received a blunt impact on the side of his head, not even giving him a moment to speak. He blacked out a few seconds later, and he woke up inside the room again.</p><p>Which leads us to now.</p><p>The small woman stood in front of him, still questioning his current state.</p><p>"I'm fine, N-Nanami-san." He cursed himself for stuttering, his eyes wary of Nanami's movements. 'Way to be obvious, smartass.'</p><p>"Doesn't look fine to me. Come to the kitchen now, I'll make you some tea." The setter was fumbling his way for a valid reason for him to excuse himself, but the woman was already pushing him towards the kitchen. Not wanting to blow his cover, he relented. </p><p>He decided to keep his words to a minimum, his answers short and curt. The setter minded his every word, afraid of any possible slip-up that might kill him again. He and Nanami moved wordlessly in the kitchen, both busy with different things. As how things usually went, he prepared the onigiris while Nanami busied herself with the tea. His eyes constantly darted to different directions every few seconds; his paranoia was starting to get the better of him. </p><p>But he didn't expect the knife that stabbed him on the side. Shock clouded his brain, and only realized the situation when his eyes landed on the knife lodged in his sides and the hands that held it. After a split second everything started clicking, and he punched Nanami's face.</p><p>'How?' His mind was travelling back in time, trying to remember where he messed up. He was sure he didn't say a word about Haruka or Gin, and he even changed his wallpaper, and he told her his hair was dyed. So how? </p><p>His thoughts tumbled over one another as he tried to comprehend how the situation just happened while he tried to run with a stab wound. The pain was dull and uncomfortable, and the fact that the knife was still lodged there wasn't making the experience any more pleasant. His blood stained the floorboards, and every moment felt labored, each step even more so than the last. He ran and ran and ran, and finally the door was within his vision.</p><p>Just...a little bit...more....</p><p>A few steps away from freedom, when suddenly his legs gave away, making him drop on the floor with a heavy thud. His vision started to blur, making everything seem like a disfigured abstract painting. Still he struggled, dragging his limp legs across the wood, desperate to get away from the hell he was trapped in. Sugawara Koushi felt all his hopes go up to smoke as a small firm hand held his left ankle, holding him in place.</p><p> </p><p>"GET AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed, trying to wrench his leg away from Nanami. He moved as much as he could, although it wasn't much. Most of his strength had left him, leaving him at the mercy of the woman. Her pace started to become languid, letting her guard down after seeing the setter's pathetic state. She walked around him, basking in the scent of his blood and suffering, and stopped right in front of Sugawara's face. A horrifying expression had settled on the woman's visage, her eyes bearing a disturbing light in them, as if madness had taken hold of her. </p><p> She stood there wordlessly, face looking down on him in a condescending manner.</p><p>And then she laughed.</p><p>Sugawara froze as he felt chills run down his body. Her laugh did not sound like an old woman's at all; it sounded otherworldly, shaking him down to his bones. There was something unsettling about the sound, but the setter tried his best to not mind it; he continued struggling towards the door, and for a while there, Nanami just stood, following his slow motions with her eyes, but when the door was just a little out of arm's reach, the woman walked up to him. </p><p>For another moment she relished that look of determination of the silver-haired man, staring right at his face as her foot crushed his left hand. Her laugh sounded more and more unhinged as the boy's features contorted in pain, his loud yelp filling the room. </p><p>"Why? Why are you doing this to me?" The setter croaked, and Nanami just gave him a sigh, a smile still on her lips. "I told you, boy. You need to suffer." </p><p>Sugawara stared up at her with eyes filled with anger and questioning, when he noticed something on Nanami's cheeks.</p><p>A bruise.</p><p>Another thing that he learned as he went on this... death loop was that he can't hurt Nanami, not even a scratch. He had tried to knock the woman back with the heavy weight of the vase down in the hallway, and when Sugawara was about to breathe in relief after seeing the woman's disfigured body under the plant, she slowly got back up. Her neck that had snapped all the way back slowly put itself back into the right place, and her limbs followed suit.</p><p>This woman was born straight from his nightmares.</p><p>But now, a bruise was clearly on her face, from where he had punched her. </p><p>Nanami, the seemingly invincible woman</p><p>had a bruise</p><p>from him.</p><p>His thoughts started racing again, adrenaline running through his veins like electricity. </p><p>'That means this is reality, right?'</p><p>His hope was revived, now a raging fire, making his skin feel like a furnace. The adrenaline made him forget any kind of pain he felt a few moments ago, and without a second thought, he pulled out the knife from his side and plunged it straight into the woman's thigh in a few quick motions.</p><p>Lord knows how that happened, but it did. Shock and pain stopped the woman in her tracks, and Sugawara took the few seconds to his advantage. He hoisted himself up, sparing a split-second to think about how effortless that felt. He limped, hobbling towards the door.</p><p>His hands wrapped around the door's edge, and with one quick motion, he was once again able to glimpse the outside. He found his teammates standing there, looking like they were waiting for him.</p><p>Just as he crossed the doorway, he felt new again, like he was never hurt in the first place. He looked down on his body to discover that his injuries had disappeared, and all the blood on his shirt was nowhere to be found.</p><p>Everything in that house was illusory, as well as his pain.</p><p>The realization hit him like a heavy boulder, and he dropped down to his knees, trembling. He couldn't stop the rushing tears as they spilled onto his cheeks, or the tremors that ran through his entire body. The others dropped their things and immediately went to Sugawara's side, asking him what's wrong. His mind was reeling; he just couldn't bring himself to wrap his head around what just happened. </p><p>The next few days were a blur.</p><p>Apparently, the other boys had brought him to a hospital. He had a full scale meltdown in front of the house, and they had to call emergency services for help. Sugawara's mouth only spouted random strings of words that didn't even make sense, and coherent sentences weren't heard from him until a few weeks later.</p><p>The true nature of Sugawara's experience was unknown to the rest of the team. As they had all relayed, their hostess was a woman named Sakura. The name Nanami was one they never heard, and the night they stayed there, Suga went out to check the window and never went back to the living area. Sakura-san led them all to their chambers, and then told them that Suga went on his own as well later in the night. </p><p>The next morning, Daichi was up first, and he went to check on the others, telling them to get up early so they could head out, afraid to overstay their welcome. He didn't wake Suga though, as the man had a fever. Sakura-san told them that it was probably when he got soaked by the rain last night, and so they agreed to not wake him up until they decided to go. Upon Daichi's request, Ennoshita packed up Suga's things silently, but it wasn't much of a task, really, seeing that the setter didn't even bother to take his things out from the bag.</p><p>Sakura-san ushered them out, and told them that she'd be the one to wake Sugawara up, but she never got the chance. Sugawara ran out of the house by himself. Sakura-san thought he had a weird limp, but he wasn't injured in the slightest— he was just sleeping, after all.</p><p>That was when the setter dropped onto the ground and started crying; the rest of the team tried to ask him what happened, but it was like he was shut off. His eyes were strangely glazed, and he hated any sort of touch; he kicked and punched anyone that tried to touch him, and boy oh boy, he was strong as hell. They couldn't calm him down, and so they had to call for paramedics to help him before the problem started worsening.</p><p>Well, things didn't turn out pretty. The setter had to be tranquilized and brought to the hospital. When he came to, he was unresponsive, more like an empty shell than a person. </p><p>For weeks, maybe months, Sugawara Koushi was a soulless man, but eventually he got better.</p><p>It was years of therapy, and it required tons of patience. </p><p>Asahi and Daichi eventually graduated, and they visited him often. </p><p>For the first time in two months, a proper word came out of Suga's mouth.</p><p>"Hello," Suga said, a shadow of his smile on his face.</p><p> </p><p>It was directed at Asahi, and the burly man literally burst into tears.</p><p>Since then, he progressively got better. </p><p>He'd been diagnosed as schizophrenic, and the silver-haired man did his very best to get his life back together.</p><p>He still sees the woman's figure creeping in his peripheral vision, and for consecutive nights he couldn't sleep, his dreams plagued with flashbacks of that horrible episode. At random moments his heart rate skyrockets and his anxiety peaks, pushing him into another attack, and the list just goes on and on and on. But still, he stood tall, not letting go of the small spark of hope that resided in him. </p><p>And finally, today, he was finally discharged from the hospital as a healthy person, now free from the white walls and the sickening smell of medicine. </p><p>It's been a good four years since then, a term full of frequent psychiatric check-ups and episodes full of hallucinations and panic attacks. Despite all that, he, with the help of a lot of other people, was able to keep them in control, and he couldn't thank them enough for the tremendous assistance they've given. His parents, his friends, his team. They've all been there, by his side, despite their busy lives. </p><p> </p><p>Now, it's time that he moved on too.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Too Easy, Too Fragile.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The door opened with a soft click, and the silver-haired man stepped inside the house, followed by his sister. "We're home, Mom," Mari shouted loud enough so their mom can hear, who was probably in the kitchen. The smell of freshly baked treats filled the air, and so the Sugawara siblings hurriedly went over to the dining table, where plates full of cookies and brownies were displayed, their smells so heavenly as if enticing them to take a bite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Help yourselves, there's plenty more in the oven," their mother noted, motioning to the treats on the table. They didn't need any more affirmation; their hands immediately reaching out to grab one cookie. They really took their time, savoring every bite of the cookie as they went. Sugawara Aiko only smiled as she watched her children act like actual seven-year-olds who received chocolate, her reverie being cut short with the oven timer went "ding!", signaling the arrival of another fresh batch of cookies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, how was the check-up, sweetheart?" Their mother asked even while her hands were busy with keeping the cookies in place as they cooled. "Oh, the doctor said Koushi's getting better REAL FAST." Mari said between mouthfuls of cookies and chocolates. The boy only nodded, unable to speak with a mouth full of brownies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's good then." The woman then dusted her hands off on her apron, and turned back to her children. "Well, that was the last of 'em. How were they?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ish sho gud—" Sugawara answered, and his mother only chuckled. "Koushi, slow down a bit, will 'ya? There's plenty, you can take your time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mhm," the boy replied, paired with a very enthusiastic nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Glad to hear you're doing well, sweetheart."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy took a moment to swallow his food, then shot his mom a "wtf" look. "Mom, really? Sweetheart? I'm 23."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bah, you're still my baby, whether you like it or not," his mother replied, ruffling his hair with playful roughness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara decided to drop it. When it came to his mother, it was impossible to win. He decided to talk about the check-up instead, nudging the plate of cookies towards his mother. "Hana-sensei said I'm faring well. I haven't had severe attacks within six months, so she told me that I can drop one of the meds I'm taking." The boy continued to drone on about the events that took place when they were outside, and Aiko wasn't complaining. A few years ago, her boy seemed so lifeless; it broke her heart to see him suffering like he was before, screaming for help, but she didn't know how to. Seeing him so animated again made her incredibly happy, filling her heart full of warm emotions. To be honest, she lost track of what Koushi was saying, but he didn't seem to notice, or he didn't mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I'm stuffed," he mused. "You really make the best food, mom." Aiko looked away, not wanting her children to see the tears that pooled in her eyes. It didn't escape Mari's eyes though, and she gave her mom a smile, silently saying that she was glad to have Koushi back too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara Koushi excused himself from the kitchen and headed to his room. He flopped onto the bed, the pillows bouncing off the mattress as he did so. Random thoughts waltzed into his mind, memories of the bright signs and posters flashing back in his brain. He was starting to consider getting a job, especially since the doctor said he was getting better. He really was grateful to his mother and sister for sticking with him throughout all....this, but he really should start carrying his own weight again, little by little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A random wave of exhaustion seemed to hit him, and soon enough sleepiness started to take a hold on him. He didn't really have a reason to resist, and so he relaxed and let himself be taken into dreamland.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>════════════</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn't know how long he's slept, but when he opened his eyes, the entire room was dark, Sugawara barely able to see anything in the near pitch-black darkness. Still half-asleep, he walked over to the light switch, flipping it, but there was no light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The realization woke him up, and he flipped the switch a few more times for good measure. Still no light. 'Huh, it worked fine last night though...'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mom, do we have a spare lightbulb?" He shouted, but there was no answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mom?" he called again, but he was met with the same silence as before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mari? Mom?" he called for a last time, but there really was no answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He put his hands on the doorknob, the metal cold against his fingers, but that wasn't what made his heart stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hope you enjoyed this while it lasted, sweetheart."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice made his blood run cold, and his anxiety came alive once again, a monster raging after months of silence. 'Just a hallucination, just a hallucination,' he muttered to himself, sealing his eyes tightly shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mom—" he started to call out, but he stopped himself when he realized the door was locked. He couldn't spare a thought for appearances right now as the door still refused to budge. He wrung and turned the knob with all the strength that he had, his desperation showing in his eyes. "MOM! MARI!" He shouted the loudest he can, banging the door until his palms stung. Still, he refused to look at the woman standing behind him. 'Just a hallucination, just a hallucination,' he continued to mutter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsk, tsk. Boy, I am not a hallucination," she said, her voice a whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A dreaded silence filled the room, the air stifling and suffocating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Just a hallucination. A hallucination, Koushi. You've gone through this before.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy felt all goosebumps rise all over his body as he heard the woman's hushed voice right next to his ear. "Your life is the illusion."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"W-what? No! You're just here to disturb me again. You're lying!" Sugawara shouted, attention still focused on opening the door in front of him. "MOM! MARI! Let me out of here!" he called, and still, he got no answer. "MARI! PLEASE!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman behind him laughed, giving him an odd sense of deja vu.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh right. He had heard this sound before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still he tried to push away the bad thoughts that came with the sound, refusing to give up on the goddamn door that still didn't open—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara-kun, there's no use trying. That door won't open because I said so."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"SHUT UP! You're not real!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ho ho ho, but I am. All this, however, isn't."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO! YOU'RE NOT REAL. YOU'RE JUST IN MY HEAD!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still he refused to meet the woman's eyes, his vision getting blurred by the tears of frustration that pooled in his own eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Still don't believe me? Then fine."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, the door swung wide open, and Sugawara immediately bolted out and onto the hallway, screaming for Mari and his mom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman took her time walking out the room, her steps slow and silent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This will make things more fun. His choice." She mused, a sadistic smile on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's showtime."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>════════════</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"MOM! MARI!" The boy shouted, frantically opening every door in the household. The house had never felt so big before. His breath was starting to get shallow, and he tripped over his own steps as his legs fumbled to get from one room to the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he entered the kitchen, a familiar figure entered his vision, and he ran towards them on instinct. "Mom!" He called, roughly colliding with her a heartbeat later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Koushi! What's happened to you?" Aiko asked, her hands cupping her son's face. Panic seized her heart as she saw Koushi's fear filled eyes, her heart clenching in fear as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She's back...SHE'S BACK—" The rest of the sentence died in Koushi's throat as he saw the small lady approach the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"SHE....!" The silver-haired boy pointed to where Nanami stood, falling off his seat as he rushed to get away from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"KOUSHI! There's no one there, sweetheart!" Aiko shouted over Koushi's voice, hugging him in an attempt to get him to calm down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO! SHE'S THERE!" The boy still flailed around in Aiko's arms, but she refused to budge. The fact that they're both on the floor now only made things harder for Aiko, but still, she stubbornly held on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sweetheart, there's no one there..." She repeated, running her fingers through the boy's hair to soothe him. "Shhh, Koushi, there's no one there," her tears began to fall, but she really couldn't care. Right now, her son was hurting more than she was, and it was her job to protect him from danger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sweetheart</span>
  </em>
  <span>, everything here... isn't real," Nanami said, her tone implying she was enjoying this far too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO! GO AWAY!" The boy screamed, Aiko trying her best to hold him down as he frantically moved around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsk, you really don't learn, don't you?" The old woman remarked. Her smirk held a dangerous unhinged edge to it, and with two taps of her foot, reality shattered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything else disappeared slowly, layer by layer. Literally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tables, the kitchen, the entire house— it disassembled itself, melting into nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the worst one to watch was his mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could never forget the image of her skin getting peeled away, or the image of her evaporating into smoke in front of his very eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then there was nothing but darkness, him and Nanami the only ones left in the void.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rage filled his vision with red, and his body moved on its own, lunging to tackle Nanami, but the woman easily sidestepped, leaving him to fall flat on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Back to reality then," and with two taps of her foot,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>everything seemed to rearrange itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Colors swirled, sensations he couldn't he explain coursing through his body in what felt like forever and a moment. The wooden floor rematerialized underneath him, his body laying flat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, how was that, Sugawara-kun?" Nanami was standing in front of him again, just as she had four years ago. He wanted to push her away and support himself, but as he lifted his hand, white hot sparks blinded him as sharp pain ran through his nerves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hand...was broken, like it was four years ago...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No. NO. NO NO NO NO NO—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That was fun, right?" The woman was sneering, walking around the setter's broken form with languid steps. "For a second, an illusion of another life."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO THIS CAN'T BE REAL NO NO NO</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You think I'd really let you escape?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>NO I WAS DOING OKAY NO NO THIS IS JUST A HALLUCINATION NO</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sweetheart.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Suffer."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And reality shifted once again, the colors swirling like mixed paint.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Help me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything else became a blur.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the haze cleared, Sugawara was standing on his feet, standing in the house's hallway. It was extremely dim, making it hard to see anything else but his own figure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His injuries seemed to have disappeared. He examined his arms, his legs, and flexed his hands. Nothing's broken anymore. Not even a scratch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a loud thud from beyond the darkness, and the young man squinted, trying to see what sort of thing was lurking in the shadows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and when he finally saw what was there, his stomach lurched, a strong bout of nausea overwhelming all his senses. His head was spinning, his heartbeat running wild again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'what— no no NO NO NO NO NO'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Splayed on the hallway floor were his friends, scattered, brutally mutilated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi...Asahi...everyone...no....no..." tears were streaming down his face, his entire body frozen in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, Nanami emerged from behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"YOU—YOU DID THIS TO THEM—" he turned back to the woman, but she made no movement, the smirk still on her lips. God, he wanted to wipe that stupid expression off her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Me?" she asked, trying to sound innocent. "You killed them, Sugawara-kun."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What nonsense are you going on about? You—" he stopped himself as he saw the knife in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"W-what...." he stared down at the bloodied knife between his fingers, his mind not understanding what happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"See, Sugawara-kun?" She started, slowly walking over to where the young man stood. "You went delirious, and in an act of rage, you killed everyone." The woman whispered into his ear with her sickly sweet voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, that's a lie!" But frankly, he wasn't believing himself entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bloodied knife in his hand...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clothes he wore had blood splattered on them too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His uncertainty and panic grew by the second, and Nanami could see that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara-kun, don't you remember? They screamed and pleaded for their lives, but you didn't listen."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO I WOULD NEVER—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Remember it, boy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'But that never happened....right?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he felt his heart stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was there, the memory of his teammates crying, pleading, and how he ignored all of that as he cut through their flesh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>HIs eyes widened in shock, the knife clattering loudly as it hit the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, no, I didn't— I would never—" he muttered, his hand covering his mouth. His tears continued to fall, steadily streaming down his pale cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You see? YOU are a monster."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A string of 'no's came out of the boy's mouth as he fell to his knees in defeat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO! NO! I DIDN'T DO IT!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the scene in front of him was telling him otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So did it really happen?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO NO I COULD NEVER KILL THEM— I DIDN'T DO IT!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the blood, it was everywhere: on the wooden floor, all over his friends' bodies, all over him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I— I killed them . . ."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind was reeling over what happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did it even happen?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'IT DID. YOU KILLED THEM, YOU MONSTER.' his anxiety seemed to have acquired a voice, and now it spouted poison into his thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm a monster. . . "</span>
</p><p>
  <span>IT HAPPENED NO IT DIDN'T YES IT DID LOOK AT THE BLOOD NO THAT'S ALL A TRICK NO IT ISN'T ITS REAL YES NO YES NO</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A cacophony of voices filled his head, his thoughts scrambling. He doesn't know what's true, what to believe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I- I killed . . . my friends . . . I'm a . . . monster."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His thoughts were still screaming, but now they chanted a single thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>MONSTER. MURDERER. TRAITOR. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO! NO I DIDN'T DO IT! I DIDN'T, I SWEAR!" He screamed out loud, crying as he did so. "I'm not a murderer," he spoke between his sobs.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>MONSTER. MURDERER. TRAITOR. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara-kun, that small redhead in your team . . . " Nanami mused, "he said something before his lights went out."</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>MONSTER. MURDERER. TRAITOR. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Help me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was as if Nanami could hear the setter's sanity break in front of her very eyes, her irises disappearing behind delighted crescents as her lips curved into a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>MONSTER. MURDERER. TRAITOR. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"I- I'M A MONSTER . . ." The setter said, wide-eyed, clutching his head tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I killed them . . . " He was laughing, the sound carrying a flurry of emotions. Guilt, disbelief, grief, and all the things in between. The woman only watched him wordlessly, eyes silently observing the setter's undoing.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>MONSTER. MURDERER. TRAITOR. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ahaha— I killed them— I'M A MONSTER!" He chanted the line over and over like it was some kind of mantra as he picked up the knife with shaky hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This . . . this is what I used to kill them . . . I KILLED THEM WITH THIS!" His laugh became louder, sounding more and more unhinged with every moment that passed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A-and, and you know what?" he asked the dead bodies in front of him, still laughing as he fiddled with the knife.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>MONSTER. MURDERER. TRAITOR. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Monsters need to die."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that, he plunged the knife deep into his chest. The sound it made was horrible— the sound of metal cutting through flesh, the sound of blood escaping from the wound, and yet, how horrible it may seem, Nanami only stood behind him, observing the scene with a Chesire-like grin plastered on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy didn't seem satisfied, and so he withdrew the knife from where it was lodged on his chest and plunged it in for a second time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not enough, not enough."</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>MONSTER. MURDERER. TRAITOR. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He withdrew the knife again, and plunged it into his chest, still laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>again</span>
</p><p>
  <span>and again</span>
</p><p>
  <span>and again</span>
</p><p>
  <span>until he couldn't anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could feel his strength leaving him, and so his hands fell back down to his sides, fingers coated with his own blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For what felt like forever he stared into the space in front of him, eyes glazed, as if seeing something that wasn't there. He just stared in silence, until he lost the power to support himself, and fell on the floor with a wet thud, a pool of red surrounding him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>MONSTER. MURDERER. TRAITOR. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER. MONSTER.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>As he lay there, weak and dying, a lone tear dropped from his eye, and a quiet whisper left his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And just like that, he was gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eerie silence engulfed the whole house, gnawing on whatever was in there, but not for Nanami. There she stood, silent as usual, embracing the uncomfortable silence that snaked through the entire space to the point that it was almost suffocating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Such is the human mind," she spoke to no one in particular. " So powerful, and yet it easily crumbles." letting out a huffed laugh. Like a tempest that had come and gone, the woman disappeared.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. EPILOGUE: Forget</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ukai Keishin came to the gym earlier that day, wanting to escape the boring atmosphere of the store. It had been a slow day, not many customers. But to his surprise, the gym wasn't occupied by the volleyball team.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Huh, did they practice somewhere else today?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The coach walked around the area, hoping to see any sign of the boys practicing. As he rounded the bend, he bumped into a smaller figure, quickly apologizing as the other man fixed his glasses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah, Takeda-sensei! Where are the boys practicing today?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, Takeda only gave him a questioning look. "I'm sorry, who?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Keishin shifted uncomfortably on where he stood. "Um, the volleyball team?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takeda laughed nervously, clearly confused about what the other man was talking about. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't think I've met you before, a-and, Karasuno doesn't have a volleyball team. Well, not y-yet, anyway."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The coach gaped at him, not even bothering to keep up appearances. Did he hear that right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Um, Karasuno doesn't have a volleyball team. You must've mixed us up with another school... Anyway, I've got to get going now, I have a meeting to attend to, so, um," the smaller man coughed into his hand, clearly uncomfortable. "please excuse me." and he left without another word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ukai was left standing there, dumbfounded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then a sharp headache blinded him, making him double over in pain. HIs vision started spinning, and he had to lean on the wall for support. It was pain that cut through his skull, sending weird shivers down his spine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And as suddenly as it had come, the pain disappeared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a few moments his vision was hazy, and his brain couldn't string proper words. Eventually his eyes refocused, but it took him awhile to realize where he was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Huh? Karasuno?" HIs mind recalled the various memories of his high school days. But moreover, how, why, and when did he get there?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he tried thinking about it, he was met with small flickers of pain similar to the headache he had earlier, and eventually he gave up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Reluctantly, he decided to walk back to his store, trying not to think too much about the uncomfortable feeling that had settled on his chest, like he had forgotten something important.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, I mean, people do that all the time right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Forget?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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